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Sunday, October 30, 2011
Snow Static
Related to our post about my new (old!) all-boatanchors heating system (see below), yesterday I had some really horrendous static. I think it was caused by the snow. A Google search on "snow static" brought me to this video (which Gregg in Finland found "shocking""). I liked the tuner and the neon bulbs too.
In my college dorm room, the previous resident, also a ham, had run a long wire antenna down from the roof of the 20 story building next door. Yes, that was an epic antenna. One morning I awoke to a faint random clicking sound. The antenna lead was hanging free and brushing up near the steam radiator. I could draw a good 1/4 inch arc off that wire.
Sadly an ice storm took it down in February. But the next year the campus station, W1MX, put their own more substantial long wire in place.
I know a guy here in UK who flys kites to carry antennas to 200ft up. He uses a high value (1M) resistor across his ATU to bleed static to ground. Perhaps we should all fit these in snow conditions!
Bummer! It's 88 degrees out here in the desert. I'm headed back out to the hammock and take a nap...
ReplyDeleteIn my college dorm room, the previous resident, also a ham, had run a long wire antenna down from the roof of the 20 story building next door. Yes, that was an epic antenna. One morning I awoke to a faint random clicking sound. The antenna lead was hanging free and brushing up near the steam radiator. I could draw a good 1/4 inch arc off that wire.
ReplyDeleteSadly an ice storm took it down in February. But the next year the campus station, W1MX, put their own more substantial long wire in place.
More research fellow amateurs - we could solve the the worlds energy problems here!
ReplyDeleteYikes! Well that would certainly put the screws to your MPF102s. Shocking, indeed.
ReplyDelete73 from the land of Santana Wind static.......Steve Smith WB6TNL
"Snort Rosin"
I know a guy here in UK who flys kites to carry antennas to 200ft up. He uses a high value (1M) resistor across his ATU to bleed static to ground. Perhaps we should all fit these in snow conditions!
ReplyDeleteDavid
M0VTG